Calendar

Monday, April 20, 2009

MMQB Top 12

The men of Monday Morning Quarterback - Phil Wallace, Bryan Fischer and Grant Tunkel - spent the first hour and change talking about the NFL Draft, which is coming up this weekend. They mocked out their first 12 picks. Here is what happened:

1. Detroit Lions (Grant): Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
2. St. Louis Rams (Bryan): Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech
3. Kansas City Chiefs (Phil): Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
4. Seattle Seahawks (Grant): Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia
5. Cleveland Browns (Bryan): Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB, Texas
6. Cincinnati Bengals (Phil): Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
7. Oakland Raiders (Grant): Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (Bryan): B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
9. Green Bay Packers (Phil): Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
10. San Francisco 49ers (Grant): Matt Stafford, QB, Georgia
11. Buffalo Bills (Bryan): Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos (Phil): Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Harris Out

After the scrimmage, Pete Carroll said that safety Will Harris will not participate in the rest of spring practice because he is academically ineligible. The even worse news for Harris is that Josh Pinkard was moved to safety before spring ball and has the tools to stay in the starting job. Pete Carroll said that it was up to Pinkard to continue his strong play and can absolutely start next season.

Post-Scrimmage Notes

Great day for a scrimmage in the sun-soaked Coliseum. Thanks to some injuries at tailback (CJ Gable and Marc Tyler with hip flexor problems), Curtis "Moody" McNeal rushed for 101 yards and looked good on several sweeps and cutbacks. The quarterback competition certainly took an interesting turn as Matt Barkley had a great day, going 10-13 for 195 and 3 TD (with a fumble and a pick). Corp looked ok, with some inflated numbers due to a big run by RoJo on a square in for a 60+ yard touchdown. Mitch Mustain was also average, checking down most of the time, going 7-10 for 42 yards and INT that wasn't his fault as Jordan Cameron fell. The defense look really good at times, with Malik Jackson and Everson Griffin looking very good at the end spots. There were some injuries at tackle though, but all in all the Trojans have to be pleased at their performance on both sides of the ball.

Pre-Scrimmage Notes

A couple of quick notes before the scrimmage today: Alex Parsons finally had a cast put on his hand, how much he will do is up to Coach Ruel. Joe McKnight, who has been practicing in limited drills, is not dressed and won't play today. More after the scrimmage later today.

Friday, April 10, 2009

The Weekend Preview

Today on the Weekend Preview, Kevin Taylor and myself will analyze how the potential jumps to the NBA by Daniel Hackett, Taj Gibson and DeMar DeRozan will impact next year's Trojans. Also, we'll look at the opening week of Major League Baseball, analyze the NBA playoff picture and discuss Tiger and friends at the Masters. Join us on KSCR 1560 AM or on the web at KSCR.org today from 11a.m. to 12 p.m.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Spring Practice Update 4-9

Good day for Matt Barkley and the offense today. Barkley made several great throws, especially down field and on out routes, to lead the offense to a nice day without turnovers. Aaron Corp did not look good at all, throwing several bad balls and seemed flustered. Mitch Mustain continued looking good and Marc Tyler came on strong as well. Today was one of the few times the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. Check out Pete Carroll's comments on the KSCR Podcast.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Spring Practice Update

Cold day at Howard Jones Field but excitement in the air as the first practice in pads. The defense looked sharp, producing some big hits early on in team drills. Matt Barkley look ok, as he threw an interception but made up for it with a nice bomb to Ronald Johnson. Mitch Mustain looked very good, despite underthrowing two balls that were almost picks. Aaron Corp looked good by using his legs and running for a first down or two. All in all, not a bad day according to Pete Carroll, who was a little concerned with injuries to the tight ends but liked where his players and coaching staff are at.

Tim Floyd Staying

At a press conference today, Tim Floyd announced he will be staying at USC. He apprently was offered the job at Arizona and flew to Tuscon but will remain at USC.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Pro Day Winding Down

Mark Sanchez is done throwing and most of the drills are over. All the linebackers are done with their drills and are now doing interviews, so it is time for me to head out. But before I go, I will name my most impressive Pro Day player. That award goes to.......Clay Matthews. Matthews continues to impress as he tries to become a mid-late 1st round draft pick. Keep following KSCR's blog throughout the semester, to get updates on radio shows, games, etc.

Fight on!

The Long Ball!

They say chicks dig the long ball. If that's the case then chicks weren't digging Mark Sanchez during his first few deep passes. After Sanchez overthrew the receivers on a few throws, he came back to throw 2 absolute beauties. He ended his throwing session with a complete pass, so that's always a good thing. Overall, it was a good, but not great performance from Sanchez. His throws had the velocity, but the accuracy wasn't up to par with what the Lions would want from their #1 pick. If I had to guess, I would say that after this performance Sanchez stays where he is projected and goes #8 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sanchez Throwing

He continues to show off his strength in the short game, but when he has to throw deep, he is having a little bit of trouble. He has the arm, but his accuracy is not 100 percent. He did have one receiver slip in the middle of a route, but he still has to recognize what his receivers are doing. Then again... the guy must be tired. His pitch count must be at 60-70 passes already.

On a side note, Patrick Turner bailed Sanchez out with a great one-handed grab along the sidelines.

Incomplete...

Finally Sanchez shows he is somewhat mortal... he over-threw a receiver on an out route. The pass drew some sighs from the large crowd on hand here but it probably dropped his completion percentage today to what seems like 98%. Now time for the fun part... THE LONG BALLS. More to come...

Velocity!!!

Sanchez just did a drill where he was told where and when to drop back and then he had to choose a stationary receiver to throw the ball to. Every throw was right on the money. The receiver didn't need to move one centimeter. Now, Sanchez is showing off his arm as he hits receivers on a stop and go.

Sanchez looking good

His throws have been on the money. His velocity on his passes is outstanding. Sanchez has come out with his best stuff here today.

It's GO TIME!

Here we go! It's the main event! It's what all of you have been waiting for. Mark Sanchez has taken the field along with Patrick Turner. The two have been combining for TDs for only one year, but you have to think they will be on the same page. Sanchez has a lot to prove today. Matt Stafford and Sanchez are neck in neck for that #1 spot atop the QB board. A good performance by Sanchez today might give him the nod.

Sanchez looks very poised during warm-upsand doesn't seem to be letting any of the pressure get to him. All the scouts are on the sidelines and the field is completely clear. It's Sanchez, Turner and one other Trojan on the field. Stay tuned for how Sanchez and Turner look

LB Drill Update

Are these Linebackers or Wide Receivers? Matthews and Cushing just made some great catches during a coverage drill. They did some side stepping and then went deep to catch a pass and they both jumped extremely high to grab the ball in the air. Matthews continues to amaze me.

Other Linebacker

The other linebacker doing the drill with Rey and Clay is Brian Cushing. Cushing is looking good as well. He dropped one ball, but looks very sharp with his routes. His instincts are very quick also

Linebacker Drills

Three linebackers, including Rey Maualuga and Clay Matthews are doing drills where they do some side stepping and running and then catch the ball. From my perspective, it looks like Matthews is outshining Rey Rey. Rey has had a little bit of trouble catching the ball cleanly, but he definitely is showing why he is a first round pick. Same goes for Matthews. It is unbelievable to think that Matthews is a walk-on. Talk about making a dream come true. Walk-on to possible 1st rounder. Whoever ends up with Matthews is going to end up with a steal, because this kid has talent.

USC PRO DAY

Welcome everyone to USC's Pro Day at Cromwell Field. As I am posting this, Rey Maualuga, Clay Matthews and others are doing a few drills for the pro scouts here. In approximately 15 minutes Mark Sanchez will throw for the scouts. You have to think that every team that has a pick in the top 20 will be watching Sanchez. I have seen projections that have Sanchez going #1 to the Lions, all the way to #17 to the Jets. Stay with us, as I will have many updates to come!